Charles Spencer Shares Sketch of Ancestor (and Royal Fans See Resemblance to Princess Diana)

The late Princess Diana's younger brother, Charles Spencer, is often sharing tidbits of their family history to social media and we've learned quite a bit about the Spencers from his accounts. Now, Charles has put a new name on our radar in one of his most recent posts, where he highlighted his distant ancestor, Charlotte Spencer.

The 9th Earl Spencer (59) discovered a pencil drawing of the former Countess Spencer, and he shared it to his Twitter account, writing, “Lovely sketch of Charlotte Spencer (1835-1903), in profile, from an album at ⁦@AlthorpHouse⁩.”

When Charles also shared the sketch to his Instagram, a few royal followers noticed a likeness between the Countess Spencer and Princess Diana.

One user wrote, “A strong resemblance to Princess Diana! Beautiful.” Another follower commented, “Her profile looks like Diana.” But, while there might be some resemblance, Princess Diana is seemingly not related by blood to Charlotte Spencer. You see, Countess Spencer was married to John Spencer, the 5th Earl Spencer. However, the two never had any children, so when John passed away in 1910, he was succeeded by his younger half-brother, Charles Spencer, who became the 6th Earl Spencer. Charles's son, Albert, was the paternal grandfather of Princess Diana and the 9th Earl Spencer.

Of course, one commenter recognized the fact that the countess has the same name as a current young royal—Princess Charlotte (8). They wrote, “I wonder if William named his daughter after her or if it’s just a coincidence.” (However, The Daily Mail has previously pointed out that Charlotte's name is believed to be a tribute to her grandfather, King Charles III.)

Still, Charles had some fascinating facts about Charlotte Spencer to share in his IG caption. “She was a popular figure in her own right when she accompanied her husband to Dublin Castle for two three-year stints as Queen Victoria’s Lord Lieutenant of Ireland,” Charles wrote. “Charlotte loved animals, had endless pet dogs, and the beautiful nearby village of Harlestone boasts a large, handsome, roadside, water trough that she had constructed for the relief of thirsty horses. Charlotte was also renowned for her beauty, and was nicknamed ‘Spencer’s Faerie Queene.’ She encouraged women in the medical profession, and insisted on being tended by a female doctor in her final illness.”

We can never get enough of the Spencer family history.

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